Toyota launches a pilot project for flexible fuel vehicles in India to replace part of its gasoline consumption with ethanol.

CTOnews.com, Oct. 11 (Reuters)-Toyota launched its flexible fuel hybrid sedan (FFV) in India on Tuesday, launching a market pilot program for clean fuels driven by the Indian government.

The car, made by Toyota Kirloskar, a local subsidiary of Toyota, will use flexible fuel (flex fuel) technology, which allows engines to use fuel mixed with a higher percentage of ethanol, thereby reducing gasoline consumption.

Despite the slow adoption of electric vehicles in India, the country wants carmakers to develop flexible fuel engines that will use locally made ethanol as the main fuel and reduce the country's dependence on imported gasoline.

Vikram Kirloska, vice chairman of Toyota Kirloskar, said at a press conference in New Delhi that Toyota's pilot project would improve India's energy independence and meet the government's goal of achieving energy self-sufficiency by 2047.

CTOnews.com learned that as a major sugar producer, India's goal is to increase the use of ethanol, and sales of flexible fuel vehicles are already popular in Brazil, a similar country.